A room with no view; Sweden’s future housing policies

Abstract

This thesis investigates the evolving role of building regulation in defining housing quality within Swedish policy, with a focus on the ideological and structural consequences of deregulation. Through a qualitative analysis of historical policy documents, architectural standards, and empirical data from Gothenburg’s housing stock, the study traces how regulation has shifted from a welfare-state mechanism for safeguarding residential quality to a market-oriented tool for enabling cost-efficiency. Drawing on socio-technical systems theory and the social shaping of technology, the research identifies how contemporary rhetoric around innovation and flexibility conceals a systematic erosion of spatial and qualitative standards in housing. Findings reveal that deregulation has contributed to fragmented governance, reduced accountability, and a housing market increasingly unable to meet the needs of its residents. By exploring the gap between policy discourse and lived outcomes, this thesis challenges prevailing narratives of progress and argues that meaningful innovation requires a redefinition—not a desertion—of housing quality.